The definitive field guide to the world's marine mammals.

10% off 'Whales, Dolphins and Seals', now £11.69.

Photos, illustrations, maps, hotspots and plenty of information, by far the best book in its field. Includes information on all whales, dolphins, seals, sea-lions, Polar bears, sea otters, dugong and manatees.

When whales are travelling close to shore, avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore.

Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 metres of whales.

If there is more than one vessel at the same observation site, be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in encircling the whales.

Minimize the time spent and the number of vessels with any one group of whales.

Limit time, as above, and then move out to allow other vessels access to good viewing positions.

Coordinate activities by maintaining contact with other vessels, and ensure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines.

Insects of Britain and Western Europe

Now you can tell the difference between a bed bug and a pine cone bug.

The new 2007 edition is the answer to all parents glazed looks when little Johnie/Janey asks what sort of caterpillar/beetle is this? Over 2300 illustrations and an instant guide as to whether you might see them in the UK or not.

Rare Birds Year Book 2009 Photo Competition

A new photo competition has just been launched for photos of the rarest birds in the world, those categorized as Critically Endangered, to be featured in the next edition of Rare Birds Yearbook which is due in October 2008.

Sumatra Ground Cuckoo photographed.

Reserachers from Kent University were amazed to find the had photographed a Sumatra Ground Cuckoo while conducting a tiger survey in Sumatra. It is only the second time it has been recorded in the last 90 years. Full story.

Top ten National Trust properties to see butterflies.

The National Trust is the largest and most important landowner for butterflies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. All (but two) of the resident British butterfly species live on National Trust land. It has many of the best UK sites for individual butterfly species, and many of the rich butterfly sites are home to scarce species.

Top wildlife and bird watching in the South East

GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE

Lorraine Kelly launches the 'Wild about gardens' campaign in conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society and the UK Wildlife Trusts. More.

Plants recommended for a wildlife garden

The RSPB and RHS have got together to create a list of plants recommended for wildlife gardening.See the full list.

ELEPHANT BACK SAFARIS: CONSERVATION OR CRUELTY.

Shearwater Adventures, a tour operator from Zimbabwe, is under fire for capturing wild elephants for use on elephant back safaris. However Shearwater strongly defend their position by pointing out that the drought in Zimbabwe is devastating the elephant herds. Read both sides of the argument.

There are many different styles of Safari to choose from, here are a few rules to help you choose.

A good guide/spotter. trust us, you will miss more than you see if you don't have a good guide with you. Not only do they see twice as much, they know ten times as much.

Dawn and dusk are almost always the best time, be prepared to get up early.

Be patient, the longer you are prepared to sit still, the more you will see.

Don't forget the people who live there. They often view the animals as pests, but your income will provide a living for them. Don't be ostentatious or patronising.

Size of vehicle. The bigger and the more people in a vehicle, the less you will see.

Spending £5000 on a safari doesn't guarantee you will see more than someone who spends £500.

There’s a lot more to Africa than the big five. Enjoy what you see and don’t go tearing all over to see a lion, thus missing plenty of fantastic but smaller game.

WILDLIFE WATCHING WITH CHILDREN

My kids were so excited about the thought of going on safari in Kenya, and we had a great time. A walking safari, 4 days on the Masai Mara seeing pretty much everything, the flamingos and rhinos at Nakuru, everything you want to see. And the abiding memories? Hiding under the seats of the open top landrover while watching lions hunting, (as all they have learned from years as armchair viewers is that lions will eat you.) and the hotel with a swim up bar and free coke! READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Water vole research at Loch Leven

Extensive research at Loch Leven has shown how otters are good for water voles.

Horsey Estate News

Latest News, January 2007

National Trust Warden Steve Prowse counted 13,500 pink-footed geese on a dawn count on 22 January, on this wonderful Trust grazing marsh site in the eastern Broads. There were also 400 white-fronted geese and eight Whooper swans.

RaptorsThe winter count is now up to ten different species of raptor including red kite, rough-legged buzzard, hen harrier, marsh harrier.

Rare water beetleNot of the same size, but of similar significance, was the discovery of the exceptionally rare water beetle (Agabus labiatus) in a newly cleared pond on the property last summer.

Top wildlife sites in the South East

Basking shark sighting and a code of conduct

With the recent surge in basking shark sightings off the UK coast, especially Cornwall and the Isle of Man, the Marine Conservation Society has devised a code of conduct as to how to behave when near the sharks, whether in a boat or swimming (not advised). More.

Lyme Bay Reefs devastated by fishing.

Lyme Bay Reefs devastated by fishing.Devon Wildlife Trust has collected evidence that the Reefs in Lyme Bay have been trashed by some fishing techniques. To see the full story, and to see a video of the destruction, Click here.

Enjoying Moths - All you need to know about Mothing.

This is a hardback book all about 'Mothing', the increasingly popular pastime of studying moths. 96% of all British Lepidoptera species are moths. That is 24 moths for every butterfly.

This book tells you how to collect them, where to find them, how to identify them, where to look for their caterpillars and pupae, and how to help conserving them.

Although packed with photos and tips on how to identify them, this is not a identification guide (There are good ones available), but it does tell you pretty much everything else you need to know about how to study moths in the UK.

How to get to the Antarctic.

There are several good operators. Don't go for the huge boats, they are not designed for this kind of travel. Anything too small can struggle in bad weather when crossing the Drake Passage, so something between 70 - 150 berths is ideal. Peregrine have excellent ships, Russian built ice-rated vessels with extra stability that are small enough to get into the bays and inlets most ships cannot.

THE WILDLIFE OF BAFFIN ISLAND, LANCASTER SOUND AND THE HIGH ARCTIC.

The bears were great, but the walrus, beluga and narwhal made this trip spectacular. Throw into the equation some Bowhead whales, towering sea cliffs swarming with sea birds, scenery to die for and the historic remains of the famous Franklin expedition that disappeared while searching for the elusive North West Passage.

How to plan and survive a safari.

A short, but very good, guide to safaris and expeditions. No stunning photography, but excellent advice from someone who has led many of these trips in the past. Ideal for someone heading off the beaten track in Africa, packed with very sound and practical down to earth advice.

As much about what not to take and do as about loading yourself with loads of equipment.

Australian wildlife images

A Life of Ospreys

Written by Roy Dennis. What Diane Fossey is to gorillas and David Shepherd is to Elephants, Roy Dennis is to ospreys.Read full review »

The Encyclopaedia of Sharks

There are some weird and wonderful shapes and sizes. The Hammerhead we all know, but the extraordinary Goblin shark, with its hugely elongated nose (and even more unusually, with a liver that accounts for 25% of its bodyweight.), the prehistoric looking Frilled shark with trident teeth, to the tiny pygmy shark, which checks in at less than a foot long.Read full review »

In praise of the much maligned hyena – Needs a PR makeover

New Zealand Wildlife

Wildlife Extra has just launched a guide to where to see wildlife in New Zealand, and this book provides the perfect companion with detailed descriptions of all the wildlife and birds that you are likely to see, including birds, whales, dolphins, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects, trees and shrubs, and even some fish. Read full review »

Leopard conservation in Iran

The Book of Shells

We've all picked up a shell or two on the beach, but outside the very most common ones, we have no idea what we are handling. The glorious 652 page book will be able to answer that question for you, no matter where in the world you are. Read full review »

WILD TRAVEL ARTICLES

Read some of the latest features from the writers of Wild Travel magazine

It would be a pity to deny yourself an amazing holiday amongst the unique wildlife and friendly people of the West African country of Gambia simply because of an unfounded fear of Ebola, says Sheena Harvey. In this first part she visits the reserves closest to the Gambian coastline Read more...

Very few rhinos survive having their horns poached, but in the Eastern Cape of South Africa one lucky individual fights on. Sophie Stafford tells Thandi’s incredible true story and asks what it will take to stop the killing Read more...

In the second part of her trip to the amazing West African country of The Gambia, Sheena Harvey travels up river to find chimpanzees, hippos and the biggest owl she has ever seen. Read more...

Tropical Fishes of the East Indies

These beautiful, elaborately detailed and brilliantly coloured drawings provide an extraordinary description of marine fish fauna of the East Indies and are proving useful to modern day scientists in comparisons with present-day scientific knowledge. From an artistic and historical viewpoint, these drawings are among the finest natural history illustrations ever made.

Primates of West Africa

With just 60 species covered in more than 500 pages, this is just about the most comprehensive field guide I have ever seen!

Birding in Antarctica

If there is one place on earth most described as providing "once-in-a-lifetime" experiences for birders, it's Antarctica. Famously the coldest, driest, highest, and windiest continent on earth, Antarctica supports organisms that are especially adapted to its extreme climate. Birding in Antarctica

Rhino poaching- the poacher tells all.

The Van Deventer brothers were arrested in South Africa on charges of poaching rhinoceroses. Having entered into a plea bargain with the state, the brothers received reduced prison sentences. Shortly afterwards, they contacted investigative journalist and Africa Geographic columnist Ian Michler. They wanted to tell their story.

Family holiday to Nepal

Where to watch birds in Ethiopia

I once took a trekking group to the Bale Mountains and the keen birders in the group had recorded some 350 species f bird after 1 week. We then had a week visiting other areas of Ethiopia, and I remember very clearly sitting outside our hotel in Lalibela (Home of the world famous rock hewn churches) as around 2 dozen Lammergeiers circled around our heads.Read full review »

Wildlife watching guide to Tasmania

Collins Bird Guide - 2nd edition

The long awaited second edition of Collins Bird Guide is now here. Covering Britain and Europe, the second edition has been update and revamped. Distribution maps have been updated allowing for recent bird movements; the text has been expanded and new illustrations have been included - There are now 3500 illustrations!

Field guide to the wildlife of New Zealand

This book covers all the different families and species that you are likely to see, including trees and shrubs. Most species have a smallish image, a brief description and an idea of where you might see them. It isn't an in depth guide, but covers the widest range in the smallest space!Read full review »

Australian Wildlife

Australia must rank alongside Madagascar for the quantity of endemic and weird species. It is a vast country with huge variations; best known for its deserts and Great Barrier Reef, it also has tropical rainforests, several ranges of snowy mountains, wetlands, swamps, mangroves and great marine ecosystems.Read full review »

Where to watch birds in Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight. 4th Edition

Why is Herefordshire ignored by national conservation bodies? RSPB, we need you.

There are no RSPB reserves, no WWT reserves, and no National Parks. To my surprise, I have discovered that there are 3 National Nature Reserves in Herefordshire, covering just 200 hectares between them, but 2 of them are permanently closed to the public.

Urban foxes in Bristol

I have been photographing urban foxes in Bristol for over 6 months now; what started off as a chance encounter has become an obsession for me and has changed my feelings and attitudes towards urban foxes forever.

Where to Watch Birds in Britain - Second edition

The familiar format contains 34 new sites, giving a total of 454, now including 5 sites on the Isle of Wight. Each site now has a grid reference to aid those of you who are GPS dependent, and there is also a list of 100 birds you might want to see and the best places to see them.Read full review »

Great British Marine Animals - 3rd Edition

Many people think of the waters around Great Britain as cold, grey and fairly lifeless. This book will put you right (though noone can argue about the water temperature).Read full review »

Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book

Written by a birdwatcher, for birdwatchers about birdwatchers, Oddie is adhering to the maxim that only Jewish comedians can make Jewish jokes by being a birder/twitcher laughing at birders & twitcher.Read full review »

Butterflies of Britain and Europe: A Photographic Guide

Good photos and maps make this book easy to use, you will struggle with caterpillar ID though.

Britain's butterflies

Bear watching in Slovakia

The High Tatras is the highest mountain range in Central Europe outside of the Alps. There is also a high density of bears in the region. The unique terrain makes it possible to have a good chance of seeing bears at certain times of the year without the need to use hides.

Butterflies

This isn't just a guide to British butterflies, it is a lot more. Matthew Oates is the National Trust's, and one of Britain's, leading experts. He fell in love with butterflies, and particularly the purple emperor, at an early age, and has been following them all around Britain ever since.

Garden wildlife photos

Having taken 2-3 photos, I walked back towards the office, but just before I reached the door, I notice something buzzing around in front of the flowers. The buzz was actually the hum of the very distinctive Hummingbird Hawkmoth, the first we have seen here.

Lemurs of Madagascar

Amazingly, when the first edition of this book was written, in 1994, only 50 species were known, but since then another 43 species and subspecies have been identified, and this book recognises a further 8 as a result of greater understanding of their systematics!

The Breeding Birds of North-East Scotland

If you live in the North East of Scotland, and you like your birds, you probably already have this book. If not, you should get it. Read full review »

Studying butterflies & moths

As the weather (eventually) warms up in spring, and the butterflies start to appear, how do we get youngsters more interested in the wildlife around us?Read full review »

Where to see glow worms in the UK

Once far more widespread than they are today, glow-worms have cast a spell over humans for centuries. Shakespeare mentions them in Hamlet and their soft glow on mid-summer nights must have seemed like a scene from a magical world.

Somerset's Coast

Nigel Phillips must have spent a long time on the coast of Somerset, and a long time studying wildlife, as this is a very detailed book. It seems like he has visited almost every sqaure foot of the coast of Somerset in person, and recorded every living thing (and even interviewed much of it!). Read full review »

Wildlife of Australia

A comprehensive photographic guide to the most common and most seeable wildlife in Australia, including mammals (including a few whales & dolphins), birds, reptiles and amphibians. There is a lot of information packed in here (But no maps) and this book would be ideal for a wildlife enthusiast who doesn't want to lug around a selection of heavy guides. There are guides to the different habitats that occur in Australia, a remarkably diverse bunch.Read full review »

Britain's day-flying moths

What is the difference between butterflies and moths? A much asked question and there are some specific differences (shape of antennae, position of wings at rest, though, as ever, there are exceptions to this rule.) but more and more people are now beginning to think WHO CARES?

One of the main reasons for differentiating between the two, as far as I am concerned, is that there are just 56 butterflies that occur in the UK, whereas some 2,500 moths have been recorded here. If you want to study and collect, 56 is a vastly more manageable number.

UK's declining wildlife and where to see it

A closer look at the state of UK's wildlife revealed that more than 10% of British species are in danger of national extinction while approximately 60% have declined in the last fifty years. But there are still plenty of places to see some top wildlife.

Botswana Safari - Self Drive or camping safari?

I have always wanted to try the self-drive but as a first time visitor to Botswana, and having read, foolishly, all the 'information' on the web about the dire state of every road, and how we would get lost regularly even with a GPS, and the danger from almost every animal that exists, we decided to opt for a week of guided camping, followed by a week of self-drive.

Wildlife watching in Spain

Wildlife photography - Uwe Skrzypczak

Uwe spends a lot of time in East Africa, especially following the great migration, and a lot of this book is based around that extraordinary event. This is a very detailed book covering all aspects of DSLR photography.Read full review »

Birds of Ghana

The one thing that always puzzled me about Ghana is that so few people visit. For the average traveller I would rate Ghana as one of the best places to visit in the world; for a birder it is an absolute must.

Lady of the Loch

Lady, as she has become know, is a remarkable 25-year-old bird (Ospreys live on average just 8 years), that has raised 48 chicks so far, at Scottish Wildlife Trust's Loch of the Lowes wildlife reserve. - This is her story.

Southern right whales of South Australia.

The Gannets of Grassholm Island

Gannets have now colonised the island in huge numbers. Grassholm covers only 22 acres and there are at least 60,000 Gannets plus their chicks, as well as small colonies of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Shags.

Safari with children

My kids were so excited about the thought of going on safari in Kenya, and we had a great time. A walking safari, 4 days on the Masai Mara seeing pretty much everything, the flamingos and rhinos at Nakuru, everything you want to see. And the abiding memories? Hiding under the seats of the open top landrover while watching lions hunting, (as all they have learned from years as armchair viewers is that lions will eat you.) and the hotel with a swim up bar and free coke! READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Wildlife of the Jurassic Coast

If you are visiting the southern coast of England, anywhere between Exmouth and Swanage, and you are vaguely interested in wildlife, you should get your hands on this book.Read full review »